Amazon's Tap Expands the Echo Family

When theAmazon Echo was first announced, it left many—myself included—scratching their heads.

What was this thing for, exactly? It could give you information such as the news, sports scores and weather. It played music. And you could order from Amazon, of course. But $180 seemed fairly pricey for something that wasn't really a necessity.

Today, however, the Echo has grown by leaps and bounds. It is compatible with a ton of outside apps, giving you control over the lighting in your home, your car and more. You can also order up an Uber car for the nights you're going out on the town. The Echo has progressed to a point where it has become an ultra-popular device; Amazon routinely sells out of them.

Amazon is expanding the Echo family witha new device called the Tap. Essentially, this is a portable Bluetooth speaker with Alexa—the voice recognition software that powers the Echo—built in. It won't answer you when you call like the Echo does, however. As the name suggests, you have to tap a button on the device in order to use it. But the Tap, unlike the Echo, is incredibly portable and designed to be thrown in a bag and taken wherever you go.

A single charge will give you 9 hours of usage, and since it saves battery by turning off until you tap it, that single charge should last quite some time.